Aston Villa have been interested in the injury-prone midfielder from The Blues for the next transfer window.
Aston Villa have been in progress of finding the long term replacement for their senior figures in the second line. The likes of John McGinn, Ross Barkley to the senior figures Tyrone Mings will not be able to play in the top form consistently.
One of their targets for the squad revampment in the future is surprisingly the injury-prone midfielder from the Blues. He has been playing quite regularly this season. The aforementioned player has been under Villa radar as reported in TeamTalk.
“Aston Villa are seriously considering the signing of Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia, with Unai Emery particularly impressed by the midfielder.“
Lavia joined The Blues in summer 2023. He is tied up with a contract till 2030. Yet, he was struggling to get his regular minutes in the first two seasons. Injuries hampered his campaign almost the entire season.
Nevertheless, it does not stop Aston Villa to gain interest in him. The former Southampton man is seen as the ideal backup for his countryman who is currently suffering a long term injury after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Amadou Onana.
What is even more appealing is his price tag, only £29m. It is incredibly low for the defensive midfielder who starts to find his rhythm under Xabi Alonso.
Unfortunately, what lies ahead of Emery’s side to secure move is the internal circumstance. Chelsea do not plan to sell him and Lavia himself is not thinking of departing from Stamford Bridge. Villa would have to come with creative deal to lure him out beside lucrative salary and contract but also warranty to play regularly.
The Belgium international has featured in 53 games, contributing one goal and two assists in all competition. This season, he has played 10 times, scoring one goal when Chelsea crushed Brighton 4-3 and provided one assist when they dismantled Manchester United 2-0.
The midfielder with five international cap has improved his number of appearances since 2024/25 season, from 17 appearances, then 20 games in 2025/26 season. He was part of the squad when Chelsea won FIFA Club World Cup in 2025 but was not included in the squad when The Blues lifted UEFA Conference League trophy.
The 22-year-old midfielder unfortunately, has long history of injury. Since his stint in Southampton, he has been injured 13 times. While playing for the Saints, he was sidelined for 56 days and missed out seven games.
Meanwhile in Chelsea, he has missed 122 games alone since 2023/24. He had hamstring injury four times, muscle strain twice, fitness problem twice, plus ankle injury, muscle tear, muscle injury and thigh problem. The worst one was in December 2023 to June 2024, when he was unavailable in 35 games for his club and nation. With all his injuries, it will be interesting to see if Emery is still keen on him.
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